


Somewhere, a Phone Rings

by salable_mystic



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Cell Phones, Gen, Phone Calls & Telephones, Presumed character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-14 11:28:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14768723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/salable_mystic/pseuds/salable_mystic
Summary: Steven G. Rogers, former Avenger, current fugitive, has two mobile phones: one that rings frequently, and one that never does.





	Somewhere, a Phone Rings

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted this scene. Man.
> 
> (written for "Avengers: Infinity War" on my MCU Bingo Card)

 

When the phone rings, at first, Steve doesn’t know what it is, what the noise means. It’s a loud and obnoxious ringtone, and one he’s only ever heard once before, back when he set up the two phones and called one from the other, to make absolutely, completely sure that he had not made a mistake programming their phone numbers in.

But, well, it has been two years since then, and that seems to have been long enough that even he has quite forgotten what ringtone he chose.

It only takes him a moment, though, and then he goes from confusion, to disbelief, in the span of a second, once he realizes what the obnoxious noise _means_.

Steve had quite given up hope on the phone ever ringing, if he’s honest with himself. It _has_ been two years, after all. Well, he’s not given up hope _entirely_ , not on Tony, not ever … not to the point where he would leave the phone behind somewhere, not to the point where he would stop carrying it on himself at all times.

Plus, well, he _did_ make a promise … so of course he carries the phone. In fact, charging it and taking it everywhere he goes have become so automatic, so much part of his daily routine, of his life, that he doesn’t really think about it anymore. It’s just something he does, something that is part of himself: Steve Rogers has two phones, one that rings a lot (that rings too often), and one that never ever does, and he doesn’t distinguish between them.

 _It has been two years_ , however, and so the fact that the phone is ringing now is … concerning.

So, right after confusion and disbelief, dread settles heavy in Steve’s stomach, weighs his shoulders down, even as he fumbles with his waist pocket to reach for the phone.

It has been two years, _two years_ , and Tony hasn’t called, not once, not when his cargo plane was stolen, not when he sold the tower, not when he got engaged to Pepper. Not once, not ever, not any time, not for an Avengers crisis, not to tell Steve his personal news. Never. For the phone to ring now … it must mean that something has happened, something horrible and catastrophic, something worse than all the scrapes that Iron Man and Spider Man got into over the last two years.

 So, even as Steve is looking forward to hearing Tony’s voice again, after so long, in a personal conversation and not on TV or on the internet, he is also dreading the news that Tony’s voice will bring.

 

.

..

...

..

.

 

After he hangs up – hangs up on Bruce, on Bruce, _on Bruce, Bruce, BRUCE_ – Steve has to take a moment, has to sit down, gather himself, take a deep breath, swallow, do whatever it takes to face up to the reality before him.

It’s worse, so much worse, than he expected.

The world might be ending soon, yes, and he’ll deal with that in a moment.

But, for now, right now, all that Steve can think, endlessly, over and over, is this:

 

Tony never did call him, after all. And now … he never, ever will.

 

 

 

.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to, say hi on tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/salablemystic


End file.
